¡Hola, hola! Welcome to week 27 of the Bible Reading Challenge hosted by Christ Church in Moscow, ID. We are so very grateful for the opportunity the Lord has given us to serve you through this challenge and to be reading the Bible with so many women around the world. Aren’t you grateful to live on 2018 and to take advantage of all this technology to grow in Christ and advance His kingdom? God is clearly using all means possible to make His name known throughout all the nations! Alleluia!
I have been thinking about this wonderful principle of having the Word of God abide in us. We see it throughout the Scriptures, but especially in the gospel of John, in the Psalms, Proverbs, and Ezra and Nehemiah. But what does it mean to have the Word abide in us? Does it mean to read it over and over again so that we can check the boxes of our Bible Reading plan? I am sure you know that the answer has to be something bigger than that. It has to do with believing the Word of God. We read it believing that God will use it to change us. We read it believing that it will give us life. We read it believingthat it will make the simple wise. We read it believing that it will comfort our weary souls. We do not simply read it; we believe it. And when we believe it, it bears much fruit in our lives. In John 5 we read the words of Jesus that say exactly this, “and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent. You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me.”
Friend, if you have been reading along but you find unbelief in your heart, know that unless you repent, your heart will continue to be hardened. Cry to God today, repent of your unbelief and ask Him to open your eyes to see Jesus, to give you a new heart that cries, Abba, Father! and to seal you with His Holy Spirit. He will not turn away from your cries. He loves to reveal Himself to those who repent and call on Him. He will always come and meet you and show you the Father. He alone can make His Word take root in you. Come to Christ today!
This week we will start with catch-up day (Yay for catch-up days on Mondays!). If you are current in your readings my suggestion is that you read the epistle of James. In James 5:11 we find the key to understanding the book of Job which we will start reading on Tuesday. I also hope you can watch this week’s webinar (Monday at 10:00 am PST) in which we will be talking more about this.
We will also read Psalms 42 and 56 (wait until you see how well they fit in with the other readings!), Philippians and Romans (ch.1-8). Now why did I choose this order? Why Philippians and why Romans along with Job? Well, we will see in the book of Job that his friends clearly failed to encourage him and to come alongside him, and in the epistle of Paul to the Philippians we will learn from Paul how to walk through suffering with other believers. Another thing that we see in the book of Job is that he is clearly in need of a mediator, someone who would come and declare him righteous. He finds himself in a puzzle, and by the grace of God he believes that His Redeemer lives and will indeed judge his case rightly. And in the epistle to the Romans we will read how we, who are in great need of a Mediator can be made right with God. Job’s Redeemer is our Redeemer too and by grace through faith we too have been declared righteous before God. The Accuser is defeated and in Christ nothing can separate us from the love of God.
As you can already see, this week’s readings will be super encouraging. Persevere in the Word and have a plan to come to it every day!
May our prayer this week be, “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Don’t you have the Word of God in front of you to read of His great deeds and steadfast love? Don’t you have His Spirit in you? Hope in God; for I shall again and again and again praise Him, my salvation and my God.” (prayer based on Psalm 42:5)
Under His sun and by His grace,
Becky Pliego and the team of Ladies Fellowship from Christ Church.
